Friday, April 20, 2007

From time to timeYou always heard it on the radio.Oftentimes watched it on TV.Seen their posters and stickers everywhere.Even saw them on Friendster, MySpace, Facebox, etc.

The Politician's Campaign Ads, what else!

Every time there is an election coming, you always see these candidates on the news, on TV shows, on the streets--almost everywhere! And every time you see them, they always flash their captivating smile, their 24-dollar handshakes, hear their too-good-to-be-true-promises and sincere, winning platforms. And it's always the same old trick. The same old lines.

And--as they always say--it's time for a change.

And I'll change it--right here, right now.

Because I will run for a senatorial position and make them all vanish into thin air--for a change.

Movies: Glitter, The Bodyguard, Breakfast at Tiffany's, City of Angels Hobbies: P.E.D.R.O.S.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

Most Embarrassing Moment: can't think of anything eh.. Describe Yourself: judge me na lang in person What is Love? Love is like a rosary full of mysteries. Who's your crush? G.G. First Kiss: my parents First Love: A.G. How much does it cost you? Php 4,569.50 and still counting Describe your ideal man: strong, smart and affectionate

DEDICATION

Dear Friend,

Thank you for giving me space in your cute autograph!

Miss G

PLATFORMS

special benefits and discounts will be granted to the third sex community.

'service fee' will be fixed to Php50.00 forever

ALL FEMALES must be inside their respective houses before 4:00pm, failure to comply will result to death.

UGLY MALES must be detained inside their respective houses, or death shall be applied.

GOOD-LOOKING MALES must file outside the street as early as 4:00 pm to enable us--gays--to choose which of them will be served for dinner.

GOOD-LOOKING MALES must not charge as high as Php50.00.

direct or indirect insults to the third sex will be decapitated immediately.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

I had two fathers, a rich one and a poor one. One was highly educated and intelligent; he had a Ph.D. and completed four years of undergraduate work in less than two years. He then went on to Stanford University, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University to do his advanced studies, all on full financial scholarships. The other father never finished the eighth grade.

Both men were successful in their careers, working hard all their lives. Both earned substantial incomes. Yet one struggled financially all his life. The other would become one of the richest men in Hawaii. One died leaving tens of millions of dollars to his family, charities and his church. The other left bills to be paid.

Both men were strong, charismatic and influential. Both men offered me advice, but they did not advise the same things. Both men believed strongly in education but did not recommend the same course of study.

If I had had only one dad, I would have had to accept or reject his advice. Having two dads advising me offered me the choice of contrasting points of view; one of a rich man and one of a poor man.

Instead of simply accepting or rejecting one or the other, I found myself thinking more, comparing and then choosing for myself.

The problem was, the rich man was not rich yet and the poor man not yet poor. Both were just starting out on their careers, and both were struggling with money and families. But they had very different points of view about the subject of money.

For example, one dad would say, "The love of money is the root of all evil." The other, "The lack of money is the root of all evil."As a young boy, having two strong fathers influencing me was difficult. I wanted to be a good son and listen, but the two fathers did not say the same things. The contrast in their points of view, particularly where money was concerned, was so extreme that I grew curious and intrigued. I began to start thinking for long periods of time about what each was saying.

Much of my private time was spent reflecting, asking myself questions such as, "Why does he say that?" and then asking the same question of the other dad's statement. It would have been much easier to simply say, "Yeah, he's right. I agree with that." Or to simply reject the point of view by saying, "The old man doesn't know what he's talking about." Instead, having two dads whom I loved forced me to think and ultimately choose a way of thinking for myself. As a process, choosing for myself turned out to be much more valuable in the long run, rather than simply accepting or rejecting a single point of view.

One of the reasons the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the middle class struggles in debt is because the subject of money is taught at home, not in school. Most of us learn about money from our parents. So what can a poor parent tell their child about money? They simply say "Stay in school and study hard." The child may graduate with excellent grades but with a poor person's financial programming and mind-set. It was learned while the child was young.

Money is not taught in schools. Schools focus on scholastic and professional skills, but not on financial skills. This explains how smart bankers, doctors and accountants who earned excellent grades in school may still struggle financially all of their lives. Our staggering national debt is due in large part to highly educated politicians and government officials making financial decisions with little or no training on the subject of money.

I often look ahead to the new millennium and wonder what will happen when we have millions of people who will need financial and medical assistance. They will be dependent on their families or the government for financial support. What will happen when Medicare and Social Security run out of money? How will a nation survive if teaching children about money continues to be left to parents' most of whom will be, or already are, poor?

Because I had two influential fathers, I learned from both of them. I had to think about each dad's advice, and in doing so, I gained valuable insight into the power and effect of one's thoughts on one's life. For example, one dad had a habit of saying, "I can't afford it." The other dad forbade those words to be used. He insisted I say, "How can I afford it?" One is a statement, and the other is a question. One lets you off the hook, and the other forces you to think. My soon-to-be-rich dad would explain that by automatically saying the words "I can't afford it," your brain stops working. By asking the question, "How can I afford it?" your brain is put to work. He did not mean buy everything you wanted. He was fanatical about exercising your mind, the most powerful computer in the world. "My brain gets stronger every day because I exercise it. The stronger it gets, the more money I can make." He believed that automatically saying "I can't afford it" was a sign of mental laziness.

Although both dads worked hard, I noticed that one dad had a habit of putting his brain to sleep when it came to money matters, and the other had a habit of exercising his brain. The long-term result was that one dad grew stronger financially and the other grew weaker. It is not much different from a person who goes to the gym to exercise on a regular basis versus someone who sits on the couch watching television. Proper physical exercise increases your chances for health, and proper mental exercise increases your chances for wealth.

My two dads had opposing attitudes in though. One dad thought that the rich should pay more in taxes to take care of those less fortunate. The other said, "Taxes punish those who produce and reward those who don't produce."

One dad recommended, "Study hard so you can find a good company to work for." The other recommended, "Study hard so you can find a good company to buy."

One dad said, "The reason IÃ'm not rich is because I have you kids." The other said, "The reason I must be rich is because I have you kids."

One encouraged talking about money and business at the dinner table. The other forbade the subject of money to be discussed over a meal.

One said, "When it comes to money, play it safe, don't take risks." The other said, "Learn to manage risk."

One believed, "Our home is our largest investment and our greatest asset." The other believed, "My house is a liability, and if your house is your largest investment, you're in trouble."Both dads paid their bills on time, yet one paid his bills first while the other paid his bills last.

One dad believed in a company or the government taking care of you and your needs. He was always concerned about pay raises, retirement plans, medical benefits, sick leave, vacation days and other perks. He was impressed with two of his uncles who joined the military are earned a retirement and entitlement package for life after twenty years of service. He loved the idea of medical benefits and PX privileges the military provided its retirees. He also loved the tenure life and job benefits seemed more important, at times, than the job. He would often say, "I've worked hard for the government, and I'm entitled to these benefits."

The other believed in total financial self-reliance. He spoke out against the "entitlement" mentality and how it was creating weak and financially needy people. He was emphatic about being financially competent.

One dad struggled to save a few dollars. The other simply created investments.

One dad taught me how to write an impressive resume so I could find a good job. The other taught me how to write strong business and financial plans so I could create jobs.

Being a product of two strong dads allowed me the luxury of observing the effects different thoughts have on one's life. I noticed that people really do shape their life through their thoughts.

For example, my poor dad always said, "I'll never be rich." And that prophesy became reality. My rich dad, on the other hand, always referred to himself as rich. He would say things like, "I'm a rich man, and rich people don't do this." Even when he was flat broke after a major financial setback, he continued to refer to himself as a rich man. He would cover himself by saying, "There is a difference between being poor and being broke. Broke is temporary, and poor is eternal."

The power of our thoughts may never be measured or appreciated, but it became obvious to me as a young boy to be aware of my thoughts and how I expressed myself. I noticed that my poor dad was poor not because of the amount of money he earned, which was significant, but because of his thoughts and actions. As a young boy, having two fathers, I became acutely aware of being careful which thoughts I chose to adopt as my own. Whom should I listen to? My rich dad or my poor dad?

Although both men had tremendous respect for education and learning, they disagreed in what they thought was important to learn. One wanted me to study hard, earn a degree and get a good job to work for money. He wanted me to study to become a profession, an attorney or an accountant or to go to business school for my MBA. The other encouraged me to study to be rich, to understand how money works and to learn how to have it work for me. "I don't work money" These were words he would repeat over and over, "Money works for me!"

At the age of 9, I decided to listen to and learn from my rich dad about money. In doing so, I chose not to listen to my poor dad, even though he was the one with all the college degrees.

And that made all the difference. Over the years, I have often reflected upon Robert Frost's poem. Choosing not to listen to my highly educated dad's advice and attitude about money was a painful decision, but it was a decision that shaped the rest of my life.

Once I made up my mind whom to listen to, my education about money began. My rich dad taught me over a period of 30 years, until I was age 39. He stopped once he realized that I knew and fully understood what he had been trying to drum into my often thick skull.

Money is one form of power. But what is more powerful is financial education. Money comes and goes, but if you have the education about how money works, you gain power over it and can begin building wealth. The reason positive thinking alone does not work is because most people went to school and never learned how money works, so they spend their lives working for money.

Because I was only 9 years old when I started, the lessons my rich dad taught me were simple. And when it was all said and done, there were only six main lessons, repeated over 30 years. This book is about those six lessons, put as simply as possible as my rich dad put forth those lessons to me. The lessons are not meant to be answers by guideposts. Guideposts that will assist you and your children to grow wealthier no matter what happens in a world of increasing change and uncertainty.

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Last week during the Lenten Season, I did some personal reflections about my life. I pondered about the things that changed in my life a year after. (Because every year I always consider Palm Sunday, as my own 'Personal Resurrection.' Resurrection from what, you may ask. I don't know either.)

Anyway, I realized how greatly I was blessed this year. A lot of things happened in my life this year, things I never imagined would happen. Hence, I would like to start my year off with a 'Thanksgiving Journal.' A great idea of showing your gratitude to Him that I learned from the Oprah Show years ago. And I'd like to make note of some:

1. I'm grateful because now, I can buy some of the things that I want. (These things may not be really expensive, but hey, at least I can buy them.)

2. I'm grateful because I was able to perform well in front of a two hundred people in Clark Air Base in Pampanga last December 2006. (What made it more hard was the fact, that I solely hosted the "Deal Or No Deal" portion in the program. If you're a comedy bar host, you'd know that that would be really exhausting.)

3. I'm grateful because I did a hosting job in Baguio for a month. (After merely staying in our house for almost a year, being there was fun and exciting. I had new friends, too!)

4. I'm grateful because I had my own blog site! A place where I can put down--or type down, actually!--my thoughts in words and share it to the rest of the world! (This is it, silly you.. :))

5. I'm grateful because I got to frame one of my 5 artworks that I posted in my room.

6. I'm grateful because I had a new phone. (It may not be what I wanted, but at least, it's a new phone. Not bad, right?)7. I'm grateful because my birthday party last February was fun! (Although some unexpected things happened.)

8. I'm grateful because I found new 'cyber friends' at The Lambs Consortium forum in Philippine Mariah Carey Fanclub website.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

These are my favorite songs of the moment. Songs from the early 1990's up to the early 2000's. Evidently, I'm missing the music of the 90's alot!Anyway, just hit 'play' and let me take you back in time!

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

"Chance makes our relatives, but choice makes our friends." Jacques Delille (1738-1813), a French poet FRIEND. What is a friend? Webster says, "one attached to another by affection or esteem." Well, yes, it's true. But, how does one find a friend?

Friends are not to be not found, they are 'stumbled upon.' We don't literally look for them, we crossed paths with them--or as I put it--we stumble upon them . Due to constant meetings and conversations, we eventually became friends with these people. And by this, we began to treasure them and treat them as if they were part of our own family.I have friends that I met in a party, in work, in school, in almost everywhere! Friends whom I still have contact with after 15 years. Friends who stayed with me during my happiest and darkest moments. Friends whom God knows where.

I had lots of friends.

Well, I thought I had.

I realized that some of this so-called friends are just casual friends. Friends who enjoyed my company because of certain circumstances. Friends who stayed with me because they needed someone to talk to but never lend an ear when I needed one. Friends whom you thought we're the real ones only to learn that they are just using you for personal advantage.

It's a very hurting fact, but, yeah, it's true. With different kinds of friends I mingle with, I often feel it. It's disheartening because you treasure them, but they think otherwise. I thought I had a hundred, but I realized I only had a handful.

One of the reasons, I think, is conceitedness--and that's what ruined it all. The years of friendship were ruined by this 'bleak' word. Why should we feel intimidated by the presence of others? People say "The more, The merrier." Yes, it's true. But, what happened?

We all have flaws. We all have our share of mistakes.

Two people can be really tight-close but they can also have different standpoints, different principles in life, but they're still comfortable with each other's company because they don't let that differences alter their friendship.

If only people can be matured enough to accept and admit their fault.

I don't want this to end this way or--worst--even end at all. I want this to nurture and flourish forever. But I can't do it myself.